A patient fall is the most common adverse event that occurs in a healthcare facility today. Each year, thousands of patients are injured, many severely, by a fall from their bed or chair. Falls account for 87% of all fractures among people aged 65 years or older and are the second-leading cause of spinal cord and brain injury. Of all fractures from falls, hip fractures cause the greatest health problems and the greatest number of deaths. Three hundred and fifty thousand Americans sustain hip fractures annually, and the incidence is expected to reach 650,000 by the year 2050. The current annual cost to the US healthcare system for acute and chronic care for patients with hip fractures is over $10 billion dollars, an average cost exceeding $35,000 per patient.
|
|
